# Earthquake Smith

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Earthquake_Smith
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Earthquake_Smith.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthquake_Smith
> Source revision: 1347425033
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

**William Gerald "Earthquake" Smith** (October 23, 1926 – September 6, 2009) was an American [football](/source/American_football) player who played at the [tackle](/source/Tackle_(gridiron_football)) and [end](/source/End_(gridiron_football)) positions. He played [college football](/source/College_football) for [North Carolina](/source/North_Carolina_Tar_Heels_football) in 1944 and 1947 and served in the military in 1945 and 1946. He also played professional football in the [All-America Football Conference](/source/All-America_Football_Conference) for the [Chicago Rockets](/source/Chicago_Rockets) and [Los Angeles Dons](/source/Los_Angeles_Dons) during the 1948 season.

## Early years

Smith was born in 1926 at [Lexington, North Carolina](/source/Lexington,_North_Carolina). He attended Lexington High School.[1]

## College and military service

Smith played [college football](/source/College_football) for [North Carolina](/source/North_Carolina_Tar_Heels_football) as a regular at the tackle position in 1944 and was rated as "one of the finest frosh athletes to ever hit the campus in a number of years."[2][3] He served in the Army in 1945 and 1946 and returned to North Carolina for the 1947 season.[1] He helped lead the [1947 North Carolina Tar Heels football team](/source/1947_North_Carolina_Tar_Heels_football_team) to an 8–2 and the No. 9 ranking in the final [AP poll](/source/AP_poll).

Smith became known by the nickname "Earthquake" due to his size (six feet, two inches, 250 pounds) and ferocity on the football field. One columnist wrote: "'Earthquake' Smith was a large and allegedly carnivorous tackle, who had been engated in a one-man wave of terror on southern football fields."[4]

## Professional football

Though he was selected by the [Chicago Cardinals](/source/Chicago_Cardinals) with the 23rd overall pick of the [1948 NFL draft](/source/1948_NFL_draft), Smith instead signed in January 1948 with the [Cleveland Browns](/source/Cleveland_Browns) of the [All-America Football Conference](/source/All-America_Football_Conference) (AAFC).[5] In August 1948, he was traded by the Browns to the [Chicago Rockets](/source/Chicago_Rockets) in exchange for end [Roy Kurrasch](/source/Roy_Kurrasch).[6] Smith appeared in two games at end for the Rockets in 1948.[1] He was then traded in September 1948 to the [Los Angeles Dons](/source/Los_Angeles_Dons) in exchange for halfback Harry Clark.[7] Smith appeared in 10 or 11 games at tackle for the Dons.[1][8]

Smith was dropped by the Dons in 1949 and was also dropped by the [Baltimore Colts](/source/Baltimore_Colts).[9] He returned to North Carolina and played at the guard position for the Charlotte Clippers in the [Dixie League](/source/Dixie_League_(American_football)).[10][11] He was cut by the Clippers in September 1949 and announced that he was quitting football to and would reenter to the University of North Carolina.[9]

Smith signed with the [Chicago Bears](/source/Chicago_Bears) in March 1950.[12] Bears coach [George Halas](/source/George_Halas) assigned him to his "fat man's table" where players were not permitted to eat bread, butter, potatoes, starches, sweets, or deserts until they reached a desired weight.[13] Smith did not appear in any regular-season games with the club.[1]

## Later years

After his football career, Smith returned to his hometown of [Lexington, North Carolina](/source/Lexington,_North_Carolina). He owned and operated Bill Smith's Paints or Bill Smith Paint & Supply in Lexington. He was in poor health for four years prior to his death in 2009 at 82 at Forsyth Medical Center in Lexington during the 1970s and 1980s.

## References

1. ["Bill Smith"](https://www.profootballarchives.com/players/s/smit03400.html#gsc.tab=0). Pro Football Archives. Retrieved March 15, 2026.

1. ["Bill 'Earthquake' Smith Gets Appointment To West Point"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-tar-heel-earthquake-smith/193455655/). *The Daily Tar Heel*. December 16, 1944. p. 3. – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)

1. Stuart McIver (November 27, 1944). ["Star Of Duke-Carolina Battle -- A Man Named Smith"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74699305/star-of-duke-carolina-battle-a-man/). *The Charlotte News*. p. 15. – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)

1. Bob August (February 22, 1958). ["Browns' Gallagher Recalls "Earthquake""](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-cleveland-press-earthquake-smith/193475122/). *The Cleveland Press*. p. 12. – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)

1. ["'Earthquake' Smith Signs With Browns"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-times-recorder-earthquake-smith/193450078/). *The Times Recorder*. January 27, 1948. p. 6. – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)

1. ["Earthquake Smith Traded To Rockets"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-earthquake-smith/193450738/). *Greensboro Daily News*. August 5, 1948. p. 6 (section 2). – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)

1. ["Dons get earthquake"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-earthquake-smith/193451202/). *Los Angeles Daily News*. September 9, 1948. p. 47. – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)

1. ["Bill Smith Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College"](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/SmitBi21.htm). *Pro-Football-Reference.com*. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 2024-04-02.

1. ["'Earthquake' Smith Quits Pro Football"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-durham-sun-earthquake-smith/193452643/). *The Durham Sun*. September 6, 1948. p. 2B. – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)

1. ["'Earthquake' Smith Added to Clippers"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-columbus-ledger-earthquake-smith/193453771/). *The Columbus Ledger*. August 18, 1949. p. 22. – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)

1. Bob Quincy (August 24, 1949). ["Earthquake Smith Gives Clippers Best Middle Section In Years: 250 Pounds Of mercy"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-news-earthquake-smith/193451947/). *The Charlotte News*. p. 6B. – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)

1. ["'Earthquake' Smith Signed"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/hickory-daily-record-earthquake-smith/193454166/). *Hickory Daily Record*. March 16, 1950. p. 6.

1. ["Bulldog Turner at 232 Still not a Fat Man"](https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-terre-haute-tribune-fat-mans-table/193454775/). *The Terre Haute Tribune*. August 5, 1950. p. 6. – via [Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Earthquake Smith](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthquake_Smith) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthquake_Smith?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.